Blowing Bubbles

No doubt you’ve done this many times. You dip a small plastic wand into soapy water and then blow gently through a ring on the end. Shimmery, undulating soap bubbles emerge from the other side. It’s fun to see how big you can make them and how long they will last.

Why It Matters

There’s much more to soap bubbles than you might think. Several basic scientific principles are involved in how soap bubbles form and reflect light.

Credit: www.GlynLowe.com

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/8415844430/

License: CC BY-NC 3.0

The size of soap bubbles depends on the consistency of the solution
[Figure2]

Recently, scientists have even turned to bubbles as models of black holes, those mysterious areas of the universe that are too dense to emit light.

To really appreciate the beauty and wonder of bubbles, watch comic bubble artist Casey Carlisle in the following video. He takes bubble blowing to a whole new level. Closely observe the amazing colors and behaviors of the bubbles in his performance here: http://www.bubblemania.com/video/bubblevision-tv.html

Show What You Know

Learn more about bubbles at the links below. Then answer the following questions.